Obama campaign focuses on 'Big Bird'

Washington
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Mitt Romney's campaign is mocking President Barack Obama's latest political ad which portrays Romney as the bad man who wants to force PBS, not taxpayers, to fund Big Bird.

On Tuesday, the Obama campaign began running an ad hitting Romney for suggesting he might cut taxpayer funding to PBS, which produces "Sesame Street," as part of his deficit reduction plan.

Analysts say PBS is capable of funding Big Bird’s program without government subsidies, according to the CATO Institute.

Meanwhile, Kevin Madden, a senior Romney adviser, dismissed Obama’s multi-million dollar political ad as irrelevant to reporters on board the candidate's plane on Tuesday, according to a Yahoo! News report.

Romney said he "loves Big Bird," but would cut public funding to PBS, a private non-profit company.

However Democrats latched on to Romney’s Big Bird comment at the debate and are now offering the notion that Romney is not fit to be president because he would lobby against taxpayer money being used to fund PBS, a multi-million dollar private enterprise.

Madden told reporters that Romney would continue to focus "acutely on jobs and the economy and what he can do to create a more prosperous future for the American public."

"That is a much bigger focus," Madden said. "We are focused on the big issues that the American people are focused on."

"Sesame Workshop is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization and we do not endorse candidates or participate in political campaigns," the group said. "We have approved no campaign ads, and as is our general practice, have requested that the ad be taken down."